Rio shifted in the sand, slowly sitting up and blinking into consciousness. A rain of grains hit the ground as he stood up and rubbed his aching head. How long had he been out? The last thing he remembered was blowing up the black core.

‘Remember…’ Rio held out his hand and summoned a memory. A small notebook appeared from a gust of orange sparks along with a floating quill. He scanned his surroundings and opened the book. Shane called it a diary and Gwen called it a journal. Rio had no idea what he should call it. Each page was labeled with dates with stories written underneath.

September 21, xxxx. I met a stunning girl at the academy today. Her hair was long and rusty black and she had fiery orange eyes. She called herself Gwenavere and had an attitude befitting of her passionate eyes. Accompanying her was a genuine delinquent. He had the attitude and even smoked. But his eyes showed knowledge unbecoming of an idiot. A black background with dots of white and hazes of purple and blur like the dream realm sky.

The entry went on describing the several months before the Winter solstice. Rio skimmed through page after page until he reached the end. He caressed the paper as he went back and read the entries he didn’t recognize. Stories of battles and recounting lessons. Monologues of his frustrations or about his hopes.

The entries became more curt and less flowery, like it was just listing important things that transpired. Rio finally grabbed the pen. He wrote the date when he met Wavera and began writing. It wasn’t a long entry, but he tried to spice up the language. He would inevitably read this again and it wouldn’t be good if his writing was dry as hell. She is a Corrupted Titan now and slaying her alone is no longer feasible.

Having finished recording his memories, Rio dismissed the book and stood up. ‘Funny, I’m far from the water.’ Rio kicked around the moist sand and continued away from the beach.

He was on a rock in the middle of the ocean. There were only a few trees and from the middle of the island he could see the rest of it. Rio summoned his runes.

Name: Rio

True Name: Anathema River

Aspect: [Water of Curses]

Rank: Supreme

Cores: Ascended

Rio reread the next line of runes over and over. ‘A mind hex is impossible, so this is real’

Cores: 2/2

Rio had multiple cores. There was only one person he’d seen with multiple cores. The enigmatic and elusive Sovereign, Asteron, wielder of a divine legacy. Rio assumed that the other members of Broken Sword’s cohort held the divine legacies, but had never met them to confirm it. Even Ki Song issued Rio’s orders through proxy.

Rio felt a larger pool of power resting inside of him. Two cores was a massive boon for any awakened. ‘The black sphere.’ The mysterious orb that Soul Seer protected was the only explanation for the sudden core.

Memories: [Ocean’s Wrath] [Tumultuous Scale Chiton][Oath of the Watcher] [Conch Conductor][Pages with no End][Duality Feathers]...

Echoes: [Leviathan][Alabaster Cervus]

Bond: [Merkon]

Attributes: [Looking Glass][Dread Omen][Black Waters]

Abilities: [Wade the Acheron][Charing Redemption][Heinous Cries]

Flaw: [Faded Film]

Another irregularity. Rio’s attribute, Maddening Sight, changed. ‘An evolution?’ Rio entered his soul sea and examined his own soul.

[Dread Omen] You carry the mark of Ariel, child of the -Unknown-. A sigil of fear, death, and madness is forever ingrained on your soul and being.

‘Ariel…?’ Rio pondered the name. Never had he ever seen the spell use ‘unknown’ in its descriptions. ‘Curious.’

The waves splashed up like sprinkling glass reflecting the fading sunlight. A storm was close. ‘I wonder if Wavera killed Soul Seer.’ Rio did not delude himself with such a hope, yet he worried about the Saint’s fate. ‘I survived, she should have too.’

Rio sat cross legged on the small hill and watched the distant raging sea. ‘I lost the pendant.’ A faint image of Soul Seer holding it surfaced in his mind. Without the coral, Rio had no way to return to his citadel. ‘I guess I can work on my other project.’

~~~

Lutra balanced herself on the teetering deck. The deck’s angle changed from steep one way to steep the other way before eventually settling down. The sundial citadel of Clock Tide Stone was gone, leaving a flattened island that was quickly consumed by the ocean.

Everyone on the ship gawked at the scene of the disappearing island before Lutra snapped them back to reality.

“Secure the prisoners!” In the chaos of the shockwave, there was no telling what could have happened. Lutra’s priorities were the safety of her crew and the safety of her cousin.

‘What isss y’er deesirrre?’ Lutra swung her cutlass around, splitting air. Crewmembers around her subdued the avatars and looked at her questioningly. The voice spoke again. ‘Aannn unPolLisheed PeaarrrLll…has no right standing among the true gems of the sea.’ The voice grew clearer.

‘Who are you!?’ Lutra thought. She tried to imagine the words with a commanding tone, the whole effort felt odd. She was answered by a hearty laugh.

‘Tis of no importance who I am, but what I can offer.’

“Be silent snake.” Lutra hissed under her breath. ‘The nightmare creature can take over people by permission.’ Lutra steeled her mind and aided her crew in reorganizing. The voice chuckled.

‘Amusing. I am no creature of nightmares. I am hunger. I am power. I am conviction.’

The last word wasn’t in her head. It came from beside her. She slowly turned and faced a raven haired man with eyes the color of the sea. His skin was completely black with sparkling stars hanging all over his body. He was clothed in dark robes that covered below his waist and left most of his chest exposed.

The being looked more like a deity than a man. An idea popped into Lutra’s head, an outlandish and stupid idea.

“Nightwalker.” The man regarded her with an evaluating look.

“Can I show you who I am?” The man gave a slim smile. ‘The fabled founder of our clan?’ Lutra wavered, feeling lightheaded. She, an awakened was chosen to meet the founder.

“Yes.” Lutra answered.

“Too bad.” The image vanished, replaced with a woman in white robes. “I cannot claim to know the Nightwalker, however, I can guarantee that I can make great use of you.” Lutra felt something foreign slip into her soul. Her will was usurped.

“Put the avatars into the brig. We make for the House of Night!”

“What about Lady Wavera?”

“She will survive. It's likely she’ll beat us there.” The sails unfurled and caught the wind, pulling the ship away from the lost citadel.

~~~~

The facility was bright, lit with hundreds of bright artificial lights. The scene of hundreds of warships being built looked like a cinematic reel by how fast the service elevator was descending.

Gwen stood alone, her hair clumped in messes and dark bags under her eyes. The under garment of her armor was wrinkled and offset on her slender frame. Despite her haggard look, her eyes blazed with determination. It was test day.

The elevator reached the bottom floor and the grated door lifted. Gwen stepped out and moved past the many packs of workers moving about. The din of welding and basing metal had become a staple of this floor of the facility. Moving past the legion of skeletal warships, she came upon another section of the ground floor.

A raised platform stood in a large circle encased in a reinforced glass boundary. Cables and cords sprouted from the platform, slithering in every direction and connection to hundreds of conduits and boxes. It was much quieter here which allowed the mundane to talk normally.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“Madam Gwenevere,” An officer approached her and saluted. Gwen saluted back and her eyes wandered about in search of a specific someone.

The man she was looking for was already slipping into a black suit with metal plates over the body. She studied her rune work on the armor.

“Gwen!” The man called out. He had short light brown hair and dark eyes. His muscular physique was pronounced under the tight fabric of the body suit.

“Zohvel,” Gwen greeted her friend kindly and took a closer look at the suit. All looked well. His fame topped that of many masters for one simple reason: he was the only mundane to single handedly slay a fallen nightmare creature.

In the most dire of situations, humans can break the limit on their power. Mothers could lift cars and people could survive life threatening injuries and recover fully. The secret to this power is only vaguely known. Gwen guessed her friend knew how to unlock this power by will, not reaction.

“Do you not trust your work? Or are you interested in a married man?” Gwen pulled back, not realizing how much she was starring.

“Sorry. I was just triple checking my runes. They can be very unstable if applied improperly.”

“I know the dangers. But I trust you.” Zohvel brushed off Gwen’s concern and strapped a sword to his waist. The blade was long and curved, forged from a special alloy that Shane synthesized with his special essence. It was such a weapon that allowed Zohvel to compete with awakened.

Gwen wondered why fate had left a man so skilled in the world of mortals. Or perhaps it was this choice that made Zohvel who he is today. Shaking herself from her stupor she gave Kyss a quick hug and let him enter the chamber.

Her hands were shaking. Gwen detached herself from her feelings, breathing slowly and calming her mind down. “Control test.” She spoke into a mike.

Awakened rolled a cage to the glass chamber and released a reptilian-like beast. Gwen tensed and readied herself to smash through the glass and save Kyss. The man took a battle stance, holding the handle of his sword. He looked at peace, holding his sheathed sword steady while a monstrosity barreled towards him.

“The Unclaimed Master.” a mundane whispered. The creature was an awakened monster, something no mundane should be fighting.

Kyss drew his sword, ducking under the monster’s maw and slit the creature’s belly, releasing the soup of guts and blood. The nightmare creature staggered and rolled, becoming motionless.

BPM, Blood pressure, brain activity, and all other bodily functions were being monitored and recorded during the entire five seconds that passed. Kyss breathed and sheathed his unblemished sword.

“Begin the charging.” Gwen ordered. Awakened brought out shards of various ranks up to fallen. “Zohvel, please activate the runes as I showed you.”

The small etchings on the metal shoulder plates, breastplate, braisers, and greaves glowed with fiery light. The shards withered away and if Gwen’s runes worked, then the essence shoul be pulled into Zohvel.

“Increase brain activity and blood pressure. We are getting higher levels of muscle contractions.” Gwen listened to the reports calmly. Ten seconds passed, then twenty.

“No changes.” They reported. Gwen bit her nail. ‘It failed.’ weeks of work down the drain.

“Continue the test.” Zohvel said.

“But there hasn’t been any significant changes. You are still fighting with the power of a regular human.”

“Please, Gwen.” Zohvel drew his sword. “There’s no arguing with you once you made up your mind.” She muttered.

“Bring the nightmare creature.” The awakened paled but obeyed her orders nonetheless. Heavily armored men and women rolled a cage into the chamber and set the release countdown.

“Awakened Monster.” Gwen watched the beast slither out from the cage in a similar manner as the first one. This time, Zohvel engaged the monster. The lizard locked on to the human and attacked with its deadly claws.

Zohvel cut through the hand and severed the monster's head before a single drop of blood hit the ground.

Gwen looked at the monitors who shook their heads. The performance was unprecedented even for Zohvel, yet his bodily functions remained the same as before. High blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, etc. ‘What changed?’

“Smile Gwen. I think it worked.” Zohvel sounded aerated as it traveled through the speakers.

“I shouldn’t be trying to test something unnatural with natural means.” she sighed.

“Gwen.” She looked up at Zohvel.

“Send in a fallen beast.” Gwen looked at him deadpan.

“You’re kidding.” She refused flatley.

“We need to be sure,” Zohvel reasoned. Gwen didn’t want to admit he was right. Zohvel had slain a couple dozen awakened nightmare creatures, but only three fallen. If he could kill a fallen monster with ease, they would know her suit worked.

“Are you sure?”

“I have you to watch my back.” Gwen hesitated, letting her face settle into a disapproving expression to hide her inner turmoil.

“Wait here.” Gwen summoned her full chainmail armor and strode to the last cage. She rolled the cage into the glass chamber and pushed aside the two vacant ones.

“Start the test.” She ordered as she released the beast. The beast was grotesque, looking like a human spider with wrinkled skin. She moved back so as to not draw the creature's attention and watched.

Zohvel was already in his stance and slowly approached. The creature lashed out with two limbs trying to rip the human apart. Zohvel cut the arms, leaving deep gashes but not going all the way through. He moved in and out of range, delivering precise cuts before disengaging.

The creature produced thick silk from each hand and started swinging the stands in long arcs, leaving trapps all over the floor.

Zohvel moved over the webbing with practiced steps as he dodged the beast’s numerous attacks. Gwen watched with bated breaths as Zohvel closed the distance to the creature and they collided. His sword rang and the monstrosity hissed in pain when Zohvel sliced an arm off.

The spider tried to flank Zohvel, moving with incredible speed and shooting silk from every direction.

The white fibers rose in the air, carried by sudden currents before burning into ash. The beast let out a surprised sound before Gwen’s fist found its head. The body burned and the smell of charred flesh permeated the air.

“Sorry.” Gwen apologized as a courtesy. Deep down she was not sorry.

“It’s okay. I was in a dangerous spot.” Zohvel sheathed his sword and people rushed to help him out of the suit.

“Lady Gwen.” An officer called to her. “The Golden Saint needs to talk to you.” Gwen glanced at Zohvel for a moment, gauging his physical condition. Exhaustion was writing all over his face. ‘He’ll be fine.’

Gwen followed the man to a balcony overlooking the shipyard. Saint Krelm was a stunning man with deep brown hair and unnatural golden eyes. He wore a stylish purple suit and held a glass to his lips.

“Saint Ceasar,” Gwen addressed the man with a respectful tone.

“How long do you think you’ll need to make your suit work?” The man went right to business.

“Sir, I do not believe it is possible. At least not with my knowledge of runic sorcery.”

“Operation Atlas has been in motion for close to a month now.” The saint walked inside his office and sat behind a mahogany desk. “In that time you have already produced a prototype suit that aims to grant mundane the power of awakened.”

“Thank you for the encouragement, but I cannot guarantee I can pull this off. Not in Five years or maybe ever.” The man swirled his glass.

“What is it you lack? Knowledge of Runes? Materials? Or test subjects?”

“With all due respect--”

“I am indeed respected, but not by you. I have sent for the acquisition of inmates on death row, serving life sentences, and those who wish to volunteer. Results Gwen, that is all I want.” Gwen stiffened and held her tongue. She glared at the Saint for many moments before storming out of the office.

‘Knowledge, Materials, or test subjects?’ Gwen felt bitter bile rise from her stomach as she walked. ‘Humanity depends on me.’

“What a coincidence,” Gwen stopped, looking up from her thoughts. Her blood ran cold. A woman wearing black armor and a cape matching her verminion eyes blocked Gwen’s path. A similarly dressed man stood beside her with sunglasses hiding his eyes.

“Morgan.” Gwen responded.

“Gwenevere,” Morgan replied. “I haven’t seen you in…what has it been? Seven, ten years?”

“What do you want?”

“I came by to see your project. It seems I’m late.” Morgan looked off at the test grounds with hunger in her eyes.

“It is a shame such a man did not awaken,” She tightened her gloves and overlaid her hands showing shallow plaintiveness

“It is.” Gwen answered. She had little patience to spare. ‘Another saint, great.’ Gwen turned to the tall man.

“What do you want?” Gwen controlled herself and her words came out to be almost a hiss.

“My uncle is just accompanying me. I am the one with business here.”

“Is that so?” Gwen remained in her place, already guessing the reason for her visit. She turned and met Zohvel’s eyes. The man noticed her company and approached.

“Zohvel. This is Morgan and Marvin Valor.” Gwen regarded her conniving relatives. “She has an offer.”

“Sir Zohvel Kyss. It is an honor to meet a man like yourself. Would you join us for lunch?” Mogan held out her hand in offering.

“I am honored and another man would have accepted, however, going out with someone as beautiful as yourself is not my place as a married man.”

“Indeed.” Morgan replied. “Then I’ll get to business. What if there was a way for you to awaken, even after aging out?”

“Go on.” Zohvel said.

“My family has a way to let you awaken and we will support your growth to become a master and perhaps a saint.” Gwen let herself smirk.

Zohvel leveled his gaze with Morgan. “You are not the only ones who have approached me with this offer. Song did so not too long ago.” Zohvel turned away. “I do not wish to be beholden to your clans. I did not awaken for a reason.” Valor’s emissaries stood silently, staring daggers into Zohvel’s back.

“First time being turned down?” Gwen wanted to gloat and thought better of it.

“A first time for everything,” Morgan turned back to Gwen. “I’ll be challenging the second nightmare this week.”

“Are you confident?” Gwen asked.

“Are you worried?” Morgan gave a sly smile and left. Gwen watched Marvin leave. ‘Things are moving quickly.’